So – Why Do You Homeschool?
Is Homeschooling the Best Option for Your Kids? New book explores why home education is on the rise
LONGWOOD, FL—On November 2, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (California) ruled that parents do not have the right to preview or object to sexual or psychological material presented in school. In this particular case, elementary school children (ages 7 to 10) were given a questionnaire to rate themselves based on their emotions and feelings about activities of a sexual nature. This, yet another of that court’s controversial decisions, is just one of the reasons parents are pulling children from school systems in record numbers. School shootings (most recently, in Tennessee, November 9) and other school crimes are heavier negative factors contributing to the positive growth in home education. Parents of children with special needs are routinely blamed for their children’s problems but are given no options to solve those problems “in the system.” Public Education is always in the news with some scandal or another, while homeschoolers are often in the news for exceptional achievement. Homeschoolers are matriculating into college in record numbers, and people want to know how they do there and in the rest of life. Hurricane Katrina has forced many parents to homeschool who would never have considered it otherwise. Is this really the foremost option for their kids? So – WHY Do You Homeschool? answers questions posed by the millions of friends, relatives, and neighbors of homeschoolers in the United States.
Why has homeschooling experienced exponential growth in the last ten years and now between 2.2 and 4.2 percent of all children in the United States are homeschooled? That is the question many parents and public school advocates are asking, and it is the fundamental question answered in So – WHY Do You Homeschool? Answering Questions People Ask About Home Education (November, $12.99, 1-59781-572-1) by Mimi Davis. Over 70 other questions such as “What about being ‘Salt and Light’ to the public schools?” and “When did homeschooling begin?” are answered in ways that provoke deeper contemplation from both homeschooling veterans and public school advocates. So – WHY Do You Homeschool? has a broad appeal for inquisitive minds from all backgrounds. This is a perfect introduction to homeschooling for those considering home education for their own families. It was also written to refresh average homeschoolers in their homeschooling mission. Put the facts about homeschooling at your fingertips with this research-packed, easy-to-read resource.
So – WHY Do You Homeschool? will help homeschoolers clarify in their minds why they homeschool and prepare them to answer the myriad of questions they get from skeptics. Author Mimi Davis gives experienced homeschoolers the chance to see some new and updated research. She helps readers recognize the high calling experienced by homeschooling families. They will feel less nervous about the process. Davis encourages new and young homeschoolers in their daily relationship walk with their families. She states, “I hope they will begin to feel the sense of community that exists among homeschoolers.”
Mimi Davis is the busy homeschooling mother of four children. As a certified special education teacher, she can offer a different perspective on the home education process. Although she began teaching her own children nine years ago, she started tutoring home-educated students in a homeschool tutorial twelve years ago and tested home-educated children for a homeschool umbrella program before that. She has attended and taught at public and private schools, and has homeschooled before, during, and after sending a child to school. Her desire is to put tools into the hands of parents to help them become better, innumerable confident, and higher knowledgeable mentors and teachers of their children.
Xulon Press is the world’s largest Christian publisher, with farther than 2,500 titles published to date.
Homeschool families bound for MexicoOak Bay News, Canada – Jun 14, 2006By Amy Dove. Planes, ships and automobiles will transport two families next month away from their comfortable Island lifestyle and …
Education Minister Under Fire 630ched.com, Canada - 3 hours agoEDMONTON/630CHED – Two Tory leadership hopefuls targetted Alberta education funding and the minister Wednesday. And there was a …
As a homeschooler one of the most important tasks for you to
accomplish in your child at an early age is getting them
interested in and developing good reading habits. At an early
age learning to recognize letters, the sounds they make and
words they eventually form should be an activity and not a
structured assignment. A great reading activity for kindergarten
aged children, for example is to read to them.
A natural progression in your reading activities with your
children is that after you read them to a passage from the
story; have them paraphrase the story back to you. This will
help you to understand what level of listening ability and
understanding they are at, as well has help them to begin
building their vocabulary as they work to find new words they
can use with their description of the story they are giving back
to you.
Good reading activities don’t always have to occur at the house,
or just before bedtime. While you’re running errands around town
or on vacation, perhaps have the kids begin to collect words
from signs, or spell objects they see. Encourage them to learn
different ways to describe objects see. Instead something big,
it may by huge, or enormous… or even of gargantuan proportion!
Have you child arrange the words they have collected into silly
sentences or phrases. Even something as simple as collecting
letters from signs, license plates, and such to work their way
through the alphabet is a good kindergarten age reading activity.
Not in the car, or travel around much? Use every day items
around the house to do the same thing. Labels, there are plenty
of labels around the house. Actually put labels on everyday
items around the house so your child can associate the spelling,
and reading with a tangible item. Then, after a while, take the
labels off the items and help your child read and re-label the
house.
Once you get your creative juices flowing, you’ll come up with
many in addition reading activities. The key is to make reading
activities an every day part of their life. Make an effort to
spend an hour a day reading extended with an hour less of
television. T.V. is an extremely passive thought processing
activity. While reading and using one’s imagination is a source
of growth and a great foundation from which to build.
About the author:
Mary Joyce is a former educator, successful homeschool parent,
and the primary contributor to the Homeschool-Curriculum-4u
website. Please visit (http://www.homeschool-curriculum-4u.com)
for a complete list of Mary’s articles, resources on homeschool,
ideas, and curriculum information. Also tips guides and how-to’s
to help you successfully teach your child at home.
Homeschool families bound for MexicoOak Bay News, Canada – Jun 14, 2006By Amy Dove. Planes, ships and automobiles will transport two families next month away from their comfortable Island lifestyle and …
All parents want their children to share and cooperate with
others. Toddlers and preschoolers are just learning how to
socialize and how to share, and as a parent, you need to help
them learn. We often tell our young children to share or to
cooperate, but this is like telling them to multiply or to
divide. They do not know how to share, so it does not do any
good to tell them to do it. You need to show them how to share
and show them why they need to share.
Here are some ways parents can promote sharing and cooperation
and prevent conflicts with sharing.
Show them how to share. Instead of telling them to take turns,
show them how to take turns. If a little boy and little girl are
fighting over a toy, for example, explain that the little boy
will play with it for a short while and then it will be the
girl’s turn. Help her find another toy to play with until it’s
her turn. After a short while, remind the little boy that it is
the little girl’s turn with the toy. Then, if necessary, help
him find something else to play with. Praise him for remembering
to give her a turn, and praise her for waiting patiently.
Alternatively, show them how to play with the same toy together,
such as rolling a ball or pushing a truck back and forth to each
other. Games such as these foster cooperation in children.
Prevent conflicts with sharing. If you are hosting a playdate in
your home, have two or three of the same toy so youngsters do
not have to share. If this proves impossible, have several of
the same type of toy, such as several dolls or several cars.
Alternatively, because toddlers find it difficult to share
materials from a common pile, divide the toys into separate
piles for each child. If you make it clear that one pile belongs
to this child, and another pile belongs to that child, you will
avoid a lot of arguments among the children.
Another way to alleviate problems is by helping your children
put away favorite toys before any playmates arrive. This will
not only prevent conflicts with sharing, but also prevent toys
from accidentally getting broken. Also, if you are visiting
someone else and your child wants to bring a special toy, remind
him that he will have to share it with the other children.
Encourage him to leave it at home or in the car, or suggest that
he choose something else.
In any case, remind your toddler that his toys releading his.
Reassure him that his friends will not take his toys home with
them.
Teach them why they need to share. Adults share because we care
about the other person’s feelings and because it makes us feel
good to make others happy. Give your children opportunities to
help other children so they will learn that it feels good to
help others. For example, let them pass out the snacks or show
another child how to build a puzzle.
Help children learn to recognize other people’s feelings by
specifically pointing out the consequences of their actions.
Tell them, “Brendon is crying because you took his toy away. How
do you think he feels? How did you feel when someone took your
doll away from you?”
Praise good behavior by being specific too. Don’t just say, “How
nice of you.” Instead, say something like, “You shared because
you’re the kind of person who likes to help others. You’re a
good friend to Brendon. Look how happy he is that you shared
your toy.”
Read stories about sharing and talk about them. You can use
books about sharing, such as Mine!: A Sesame Street Book about
Sharing by Linda Hayward, I Am Sharing by Mercer Mayer,
Harriet’s Halloween Candy by Nancy L. Carlson, and It’s Mine by
Leo Lionni. Or you can bring up the topic of sharing as it comes
up in other stories, such as the seven dwarves sharing their
home with Snow White.
Finally, teach by example. Let your children see you sharing,
cooperating and being considerate of others, and they will try
to imitate you.
Despite your matchless intentions and preventive measures, issues
with sharing will likely crop up anyway. Just try to take it all
in stride.
About the author:
Carren W. Joye is the author of “A Stay-at-Home Mom’s Complete
Guide to Playgroups” (ISBN 0-595-14684-8) and “Homeschooling
More Than One Child: A Practical Guide for Families” (ISBN
0-595-34259-0). A homeschooling mom of four children, she has
founded four successful playgroups and one homeschool support
group. Visit http://www.onlineplaygroup.com for higher information
about playgroups.
PEACE Homeschool Fellowship holds awards banquetForest Blade, GA – Jun 13, 2006PEACE (Parents Ensuring Attentive Christian Education) Homeschool Fellowship Group held their First Annual Awards Banquet. The Banquet …
Homeschool curriculum swap and showMacomb Daily Journal, IL – Jun 19, 2006By Amber Trueblood/Journal Staff Writer. MACOMB-Homeschoolers in the area will have the chance to attend a homeschool curriculum swap and show on June 26. …
